WINCHESTER — An eastern Indiana man who forged a plea agreement with prosecutors on drug-dealing charges has been found dead.

The body of 37-year-old Jason Neil Norton was found March 17 in a ditch about 12 miles south of Lynn, the town where he lived.

Norton had been scheduled to go on trial March 11, but made a deal with prosecutors on which a judge had not yet ruled. The Star Press of Muncie reports that the agreement wasn't in Norton's file because it wasn't finalized, so it wasn't known if its terms required him to testify against other alleged drug dealers.

An autopsy found Norton had died of blunt force trauma.

The Star Press says Norton's file does reflect some witnesses' reluctance to testify in drug cases.